REECE: Sandstoner does what it takes to pursue major goal

Chris Reece has known since he was seven that he wanted to be a baseball player.

The Potsdam High School junior has taken steps most local athletes don't to further his goal of someday being a professional baseball player.

Two years ago he spent the summer competing in Missouri and last year he spent the summer playing in a wooden-bat league in Florida. This summer he plans to play American Legion Baseball for the Brockville (Ontario) Bunnies.

The extra work on his game has paid off for his hometown team as well, as Reece earned the Northern Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player honor for this year's All-North baseball team.

Reece helped the Sandstoners repeat as Section 10 Class B champions and filled a void left when last year's NAC MVP, Jerry Coleman, graduated.

"He's baseball 100 percent," said Potsdam coach Chris Donah. "That's what he wants to do. He's motivated to do well and learn the game as best as possible. He stepped right into (Coleman's) role without a problem. He was very consistent at the plate. If we needed a bit hit, he was there for us. As far as his ability to step into the tough pressure role of being the team RBI-getter and getting hits when we needed them and starting rallies, he was that guy this year."

Coleman, who was a standout as a freshman for the Clarkson University baseball team this spring, helped Potsdam reach the state playoffs for the first time in over a decade last year.

But even though he was gone from the program, Reece knew there was still enough talent coming back to contend for postseason honors again.

"I knew a lot of people didn't think we'd do anything and we'd be terrible," Reece said. "One thing I knew I needed to do was to prove to people that Potsdam was a solid program and that I could step up and show that Jerry taught me a few things. Last year I counted on Jerry to (pitch) the big games. This year they looked to me to get the big guys. That's a lot more pressure."

Reece responded to the pressure, beating top-seeded Ogdensburg Free Academy in the Section 10 championship game.

"That was huge," Reece said. "We played great as a team. We put it together. It wasn't just me or (Jerry's brother) Johnny Coleman, it was everybody. It was great to go back-to-back."

Reece's next goal will be to try and have a regular-season that matches the postseason standards Potsdam has set the past two years. He also wants to work his way into an NCAA Division I scholarship offer. Should that not pan out, he has already received interest from Schenectady Community College, one of the top junior college programs in the nation.

"I wouldn't be anywhere without my parents (Larry and Linda)," Reece said. "Me and my dad go out and hit every night and field and throw. He doesn't have much baseball experience, but he has provided me with the opportunities I need to get where I wanted to go. He's been there every night. My mom goes to every game that she can. She's all over the place."